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samlw0's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Art about art!!!!!! This one is sapphic-normalized, and I love reading about people who have talent and expertise and passion. I struggled with how naive and idealistic the main character was for a while, but ultimately it made the story much more dreamy and magical.
jaslyn_'s review against another edition
4.5
torn between 4 and 5 stars for this, maybe a 4.5
good things first, Lacour's prose is gorgeous, ever since I read "We are okay" I've always been swooned by how beautiful she can put together emotion from detail, the actions and atmosphere all paint a picture that exemplifies the showiness of her characters' emotional state. This was on display here, though to a lesser extent for some other reaosns
This was one of the first YA novels I've read which did not benefit from a strong FPOV characterisation, i.e. there wasn't a strong character in Emi. There wasn't a strong arc for her and I did not find her development compelling. She's definitely deeply devoted to her craft to the point where it eats away at her life, but we don't really see anything that pushes her forward. HOWEVER, all of this is stolen away by just how gorgeously Ava's character was done. I'm even second guessing myself if this book would've been 1000 times better if Ava was the narrator. Her entire arc from poverty to rich, budding actress while still hanging onto the leash of her past, was grippingly well fleshed out. I loved it so much. Especially when tied in with her (off-page) attraction towards Emi (Emi's own attraction Ava was a fucking dud, imo), was soooo good. The part about Ava not wanting the mystery to end so that Emi would still have an excuse to be with her? So fucking good. Gah. And all the shit she gets up to just paints a gorgeous character
Great themes of privilege and perseverence and the perspective of suffering. Loved the back stories
Slightly clumsy third act, imo. I was kept waiting for the pinch which never seemed to come and it felt a bit kitschy/forced.
In all this was worth the read purely for the mystery of Ava and the romance buildup, but fell a little flat towards the end. But it ended gorgeously.
good things first, Lacour's prose is gorgeous, ever since I read "We are okay" I've always been swooned by how beautiful she can put together emotion from detail, the actions and atmosphere all paint a picture that exemplifies the showiness of her characters' emotional state. This was on display here, though to a lesser extent for some other reaosns
This was one of the first YA novels I've read which did not benefit from a strong FPOV characterisation, i.e. there wasn't a strong character in Emi. There wasn't a strong arc for her and I did not find her development compelling. She's definitely deeply devoted to her craft to the point where it eats away at her life, but we don't really see anything that pushes her forward. HOWEVER, all of this is stolen away by just how gorgeously Ava's character was done. I'm even second guessing myself if this book would've been 1000 times better if Ava was the narrator. Her entire arc from poverty to rich, budding actress while still hanging onto the leash of her past, was grippingly well fleshed out. I loved it so much. Especially when tied in with her (off-page) attraction towards Emi (Emi's own attraction Ava was a fucking dud, imo), was soooo good. The part about Ava not wanting the mystery to end so that Emi would still have an excuse to be with her? So fucking good. Gah. And all the shit she gets up to just paints a gorgeous character
Great themes of privilege and perseverence and the perspective of suffering. Loved the back stories
Slightly clumsy third act, imo. I was kept waiting for the pinch which never seemed to come and it felt a bit kitschy/forced.
In all this was worth the read purely for the mystery of Ava and the romance buildup, but fell a little flat towards the end. But it ended gorgeously.
thewrongalice's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
emma_vinkenoog's review against another edition
5.0
This book made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside it's so amazing please read it
kategallo's review against another edition
4.0
I love peaceful, sweet reads like this. I know it's not everyone's taste, but I do enjoy books with low-stakes, slower-paced plots from time to time, especially when they are written as beautifully as this one. Everything Leads to You is a bit hard to describe, but it's essentially a lovely, slow-building romance that incorporates set-design and filmmaking into it. I LOVED the descriptions of the sets that Emi built, and the way she observed scenery and surroundings. It was really picturesque and made the book itself feel homely and warm. The friendship between Emi and Charlotte also reminded me so much of the friendship between my best friend and me! There were a few times when I thought the dialogue was a bit cringy (?), almost, or that the obsession with using Clyde's fame to progress Ava's career was a bit weird, but I found that there was so much more that I did enjoy. Maybe closer to a 3.5 but I can't get over how beautiful the scenery and set descriptions were.
immabehazzie's review against another edition
3.0
(3.5 rounded down to a 3)
“Lost in a film scene” - Taylor Swift
I enjoyed the journey that this story took me on. Everything Leads To You straddles the line between serendipity and realism and surprisingly, it does it well. The story and characters were cute, clichè, and real, and was something I very much enjoyed.
There were two things specifically that I couldn’t find in myself to actually enjoy. The first is how improbable the circumstances are for an eighteen-year-old who had only just graduated from high school. Had I read this book when I first bought it as a teenager I think I would have been able to easily overlook this aspect of the story. The second thing that bothered me was the awkward and sometimes frustrating juxtaposition between Emi’s pining and the problems that Ava is going through throughout the book.
However, it’s not often that you can find a story of queer romance that isn’t about cheating or is overshadowed by an inappropriate age gap. The romance was sweet and the way that the main character idolizes and fantasizes about her crush feels real and relatable. In fact, all of the characters feel pretty real, especially the main character and her love interest. Their flaws aren’t overlooked and in fact, help round out their characters. For example, Emi’s naivety does a good job of showcasing her young age that she tries to overlook throughout the entire book.
Overall, Everything Leads To You, is a good queer romance and coming-of-age novel.
“Lost in a film scene” - Taylor Swift
I enjoyed the journey that this story took me on. Everything Leads To You straddles the line between serendipity and realism and surprisingly, it does it well. The story and characters were cute, clichè, and real, and was something I very much enjoyed.
There were two things specifically that I couldn’t find in myself to actually enjoy. The first is how improbable the circumstances are for an eighteen-year-old who had only just graduated from high school. Had I read this book when I first bought it as a teenager I think I would have been able to easily overlook this aspect of the story. The second thing that bothered me was the awkward and sometimes frustrating juxtaposition between Emi’s pining and the problems that Ava is going through throughout the book.
However, it’s not often that you can find a story of queer romance that isn’t about cheating or is overshadowed by an inappropriate age gap. The romance was sweet and the way that the main character idolizes and fantasizes about her crush feels real and relatable. In fact, all of the characters feel pretty real, especially the main character and her love interest. Their flaws aren’t overlooked and in fact, help round out their characters. For example, Emi’s naivety does a good job of showcasing her young age that she tries to overlook throughout the entire book.
Overall, Everything Leads To You, is a good queer romance and coming-of-age novel.
braideeg's review against another edition
4.0
best romcom i’ve ever read my fav cute little romance book
skylar_blue's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
eileen9898's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 ⭐
This was an emotional roller coaster and I loved every second of it!!!
😍😍😍😍😍
I fell in love with the characters, the story could be a movie itself 😍😍 it had this warm feeling to it, that just makes me feel really happy and fuzzy inside 🌌🦄🌌🦄🌌🦄
I liked how the story felt really natural, as well as the characters and their actions. There are no big and dramatic soap opera scenes, where everything blows up or something. Everything felt really close to real life.
And I love the behind-the-scenes-view we get as readers into Hollywood and film-making. As I am a sucker for interior design, I just ate those passages up when they talked about set design/flea markets/furniture/decorating/lighting etc. and everything else, that is needed to create the magic, that movies sometimes can be.
The story makes me want to fall in love.
❤💙💚💛💜💓
This was an emotional roller coaster and I loved every second of it!!!
😍😍😍😍😍
I fell in love with the characters, the story could be a movie itself 😍😍 it had this warm feeling to it, that just makes me feel really happy and fuzzy inside 🌌🦄🌌🦄🌌🦄
I liked how the story felt really natural, as well as the characters and their actions. There are no big and dramatic soap opera scenes, where everything blows up or something. Everything felt really close to real life.
And I love the behind-the-scenes-view we get as readers into Hollywood and film-making. As I am a sucker for interior design, I just ate those passages up when they talked about set design/flea markets/furniture/decorating/lighting etc. and everything else, that is needed to create the magic, that movies sometimes can be.
The story makes me want to fall in love.
❤💙💚💛💜💓